scholarly journals Intravenous Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced MR Imaging of the Endolymphatic Space: A Methodological Comparative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Boegle ◽  
Johannes Gerb ◽  
Emilie Kierig ◽  
Sandra Becker-Bense ◽  
Birgit Ertl-Wagner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Delay ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
Signal Intensity ◽  
Endolymphatic Hydrops ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Head Impulse Test ◽  
Clinical Tool ◽  
Endolymphatic Space ◽  
H 30

In-vivo non-invasive verification of endolymphatic hydrops (ELH) by means of intravenous delayed gadolinium (Gd) enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the inner ear (iMRI) is rapidly developing into a standard clinical tool to investigate peripheral vestibulo-cochlear syndromes. In this context, methodological comparative studies providing standardization and comparability between labs seem even more important, but so far very few are available. One hundred eight participants [75 patients with Meniere's disease (MD; 55.2 ± 14.9 years) and 33 vestibular healthy controls (HC; 46.4 ± 15.6 years)] were examined. The aim was to understand (i) how variations in acquisition protocols influence endolymphatic space (ELS) MR-signals; (ii) how ELS quantification methods correlate to each other or clinical data; and finally, (iii) how ELS extent influences MR-signals. Diagnostics included neuro-otological assessment, video-oculography during caloric stimulation, head-impulse test, audiometry, and iMRI. Data analysis provided semi-quantitative (SQ) visual grading and automatic algorithmic quantitative segmentation of ELS area [2D, mm2] and volume [3D, mm3] using deep learning-based segmentation and volumetric local thresholding. Within the range of 0.1–0.2 mmol/kg Gd dosage and a 4 h ± 30 min time delay, SQ grading and 2D- or 3D-quantifications were independent of signal intensity (SI) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR; FWE corrected, p < 0.05). The ELS quantification methods used were highly reproducible across raters or thresholds and correlated strongly (0.3–0.8). However, 3D-quantifications showed the least variability. Asymmetry indices and normalized ELH proved the most useful for predicting quantitative clinical data. ELH size influenced SI (cochlear basal turn p < 0.001), but not SNR. SI could not predict the presence of ELH. In conclusion, (1) Gd dosage of 0.1–0.2 mmol/kg after 4 h ± 30 min time delay suffices for ELS quantification. (2) A consensus is needed on a clinical SQ grading classification including a standardized level of evaluation reconstructed to anatomical fixpoints. (3) 3D-quantification methods of the ELS are best suited for correlations with clinical variables and should include both ears and ELS values reported relative or normalized to size. (4) The presence of ELH increases signal intensity in the basal cochlear turn weakly, but cannot predict the presence of ELH.

scholarly journals Quantitative Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography of Early Enamel Erosion in vivo

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rupert S. Austin ◽  
Maisalamah Haji Taha ◽  
Frederic Festy ◽  
Richard Cook ◽  
Manoharan Andiappan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Optical Coherence Tomography ◽  
Healthy Volunteers ◽  
Orange Juice ◽  
Signal Intensity ◽  
Surface States ◽  
Enamel Surface ◽  
Optical Coherence ◽  
Swept Source ◽  
Water Rinsing

Swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) shows potential for the in vivo quantitative evaluation of micro-structural enamel surface phenomena occurring during early erosive demineralization. This randomized controlled single-blind cross-over clinical study aimed to evaluate the use of SS-OCT for detecting optical changes in the enamel of 30 healthy volunteers subjected to orange juice rinsing (erosive challenge) in comparison to mineral water rinsing (control), according to wiped and non-wiped enamel surface states. Participants were randomly allocated to 60 min of orange juice rinsing (pH 3.8) followed by 60 min of water rinsing (pH 6.7) and vice versa, with a 2-week wash-out period. In addition, the labial surfaces of the right or left maxillary incisors were wiped prior to SS-OCT imaging. An automated ImageJ algorithm was designed to analyse the back-scattered OCT signal intensity (D) after orange juice rinsing compared to after water rinsing. D was quantified as the OCT signal scattering from the 33 µm sub-surface enamel, normalised by the total OCT signal intensity entering the enamel. The back-scattered OCT signal intensity increased by 3.1% (95% CI 1.1-5.1%) in the wiped incisors and by 3.5% (95% CI 1.5-5.5%) in the unwiped incisors (p < 0.0001). Wiping reduced the back-scattered OCT signal intensity by 1.7% (95% CI -3.2 to -0.3%; p = 0.02) in comparison to the unwiped enamel surfaces for both rinsing solutions (p = 0.2). SS-OCT detected OCT signal changes in the superficial sub-surface enamel of maxillary central incisor teeth of healthy volunteers after orange juice rinsing.

scholarly journals Signal Intensity of Stem Diameter Variation for the Diagnosis of Drip Irrigation Water Deficit in Grapevine

Horticulturae ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
Chen Ru ◽  
Xiaotao Hu ◽  
Wene Wang ◽  
Hui Ran ◽  
Tianyuan Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Signal Intensity ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Stem Diameter ◽  
Vegetative Stage ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Diameter Variation ◽  
Expansion Stage ◽  
Noise Ratio

Precise irrigation management of grapevines in greenhouses requires a reliable method to easily quantify and monitor the grapevine water status to enable effective manipulation of the water stress of the plants. This study describes a study on stem diameter variations of grapevine planted in a greenhouse in the semi-arid area of Northwest China. In order to determine the applicability of signal intensity of stem diameter variation to evaluate the water status of grapevine and soil. The results showed that the relative variation curve of the grapevine stem diameter from the vegetative stage to the fruit expansion stage showed an overall increasing trend. The correlations of MDS (maximum daily shrinkage) and DI (daily increase) with meteorological factors were significant (p < 0.05), and the correlations with SWP, RWC and soil moisture were weak. Although MDS and DI can diagnose grapevine water status in time, SIMDS and SIDI have the advantages of sensitivity and signal intensity compared with other indicators. Compared with MDS and DI, the R2 values of the regression equations of SIMDS and SIDI with SWP and RWC were high, and the correlation reached a very significant level (p < 0.01). Thus, SIMDS and SIDI are more suitable for the diagnosis of grapevine water status. The SIMDS peaked at the fruit expansion stage, reaching 0.957–1.384. The signal-to-noise ratio of SIDI was higher than that of MDS across the three treatments at the vegetative stage. The value and signal-to-noise ratio of SIDI at the flowering stage were similar to those of SIMDS, while the correlation between SIDI and the soil moisture content was higher than that of SIMDS. It can be concluded that that SIDI is suitable as an indicator of water status of grapevine and soil during the vegetative and flowering stages. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratio of SIMDS during the fruit expansion and mature stages was significantly higher than that of SIDI. Therefore, SIMDS is suitable as an indicator of the moisture status of grapevine and soil during the fruit expansion and mature stages. In general, SIMDS and SIDI were very good predictors of the plant water status during the growth stage and their continuous recording offers the promising possibility of their use in automatic irrigation scheduling in grapevine.

scholarly journals Convolution Network with Custom Loss Function for the Denoising of Low SNR Raman Spectra

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4623
Author(s):  
Sinead Barton ◽  
Salaheddin Alakkari ◽  
Kevin O’Dwyer ◽  
Tomas Ward ◽  
Bryan Hennelly
Keyword(s):  
Raman Spectra ◽  
Loss Function ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Biomedical Science ◽  
Clinical Tool ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Low Snr ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Spectral Peaks ◽  
Noise Ratio

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful diagnostic tool in biomedical science, whereby different disease groups can be classified based on subtle differences in the cell or tissue spectra. A key component in the classification of Raman spectra is the application of multi-variate statistical models. However, Raman scattering is a weak process, resulting in a trade-off between acquisition times and signal-to-noise ratios, which has limited its more widespread adoption as a clinical tool. Typically denoising is applied to the Raman spectrum from a biological sample to improve the signal-to-noise ratio before application of statistical modeling. A popular method for performing this is Savitsky–Golay filtering. Such an algorithm is difficult to tailor so that it can strike a balance between denoising and excessive smoothing of spectral peaks, the characteristics of which are critically important for classification purposes. In this paper, we demonstrate how Convolutional Neural Networks may be enhanced with a non-standard loss function in order to improve the overall signal-to-noise ratio of spectra while limiting corruption of the spectral peaks. Simulated Raman spectra and experimental data are used to train and evaluate the performance of the algorithm in terms of the signal to noise ratio and peak fidelity. The proposed method is demonstrated to effectively smooth noise while preserving spectral features in low intensity spectra which is advantageous when compared with Savitzky–Golay filtering. For low intensity spectra the proposed algorithm was shown to improve the signal to noise ratios by up to 100% in terms of both local and overall signal to noise ratios, indicating that this method would be most suitable for low light or high throughput applications.

scholarly journals Biological Treatment Approaches for Degenerative Disk Disease: A Literature Review of in Vivo Animal and Clinical Data

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 497-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Moriguchi ◽  
Marjan Alimi ◽  
Thamina Khair ◽  
George Manolarakis ◽  
Connor Berlin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Clinical Data ◽  
Biological Treatment ◽  
Treatment Approaches ◽  
Degenerative Disk Disease

scholarly journals High-speed high-resolution laser diode-based photoacoustic microscopy for in vivo microvasculature imaging

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiufeng Li ◽  
Victor T C Tsang ◽  
Lei Kang ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Terence T W Wong
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
High Speed ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Continuous Wave ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Photoacoustic Microscopy ◽  
Mouse Ear

AbstractLaser diodes (LDs) have been considered as cost-effective and compact excitation sources to overcome the requirement of costly and bulky pulsed laser sources that are commonly used in photoacoustic microscopy (PAM). However, the spatial resolution and/or imaging speed of previously reported LD-based PAM systems have not been optimized simultaneously. In this paper, we developed a high-speed and high-resolution LD-based PAM system using a continuous wave LD, operating at a pulsed mode, with a repetition rate of 30 kHz, as an excitation source. A hybrid scanning mechanism that synchronizes a one-dimensional galvanometer mirror and a two-dimensional motorized stage is applied to achieve a fast imaging capability without signal averaging due to the high signal-to-noise ratio. By optimizing the optical system, a high lateral resolution of 4.8 μm has been achieved. In vivo microvasculature imaging of a mouse ear has been demonstrated to show the high performance of our LD-based PAM system.

scholarly journals Ex Vivo Mitochondrial Respiration Parallels Biochemical Response to Ibrutinib in CLL Cells

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
Subir Roy Chowdhury ◽  
Cheryl Peltier ◽  
Sen Hou ◽  
Amandeep Singh ◽  
James B. Johnston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Respiration ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Standard Dose ◽  
Cell Receptor ◽  
Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Clinical Tool ◽  
Potential Biomarker ◽  
Apoptotic Pathways ◽  
The Impact

Mitochondrial respiration is becoming more commonly used as a preclinical tool and potential biomarker for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and activated B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling. However, respiration parameters have not been evaluated with respect to dose of ibrutinib given in clinical practice or the effect of progression on ibrutinib treatment on respiration of CLL cells. We evaluated the impact of low and standard dose ibrutinib on CLL cells from patients treated in vivo on mitochondrial respiration using Oroboros oxygraph. Cytokines CCL3 and CCL4 were evaluated using the Mesoscale. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate the BCR and apoptotic pathways. We observed no difference in the mitochondrial respiration rates or levels of plasma chemokine (C-C motif) ligands 3 and 4 (CCL3/CCL4), β-2 microglobulin (β-2 M) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) between low and standard doses of ibrutinib. This may confirm why clinical observations of the safety and efficacy of low dose ibrutinib are observed in practice. Of interest, we also observed that the mitochondrial respiration of CLL cells paralleled the increase in β-2 M and LDH at progression. Our study further supports mitochondrial respiration as a biomarker for response and progression on ibrutinib in CLL cells and a valuable pre-clinical tool.

scholarly journals Methods for Voltage-Sensitive Dye Imaging of Rat Cortical Activity With High Signal-to-Noise Ratio

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 502-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Lippert ◽  
Kentaroh Takagaki ◽  
Weifeng Xu ◽  
Xiaoying Huang ◽  
Jian-Young Wu
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Range ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
High Dynamic Range ◽  
High Signal ◽  
Blue Dye ◽  
Voltage Sensitive Dye ◽  
Imaging Device

We describe methods to achieve high sensitivity in voltage-sensitive dye (VSD) imaging from rat barrel and visual cortices in vivo with the use of a blue dye RH1691 and a high dynamic range imaging device (photodiode array). With an improved staining protocol and an off-line procedure to remove pulsation artifact, the sensitivity of VSD recording is comparable with that of local field potential recording from the same location. With this sensitivity, one can record from ∼500 individual detectors, each covering an area of cortical tissue 160 μm in diameter (total imaging field ∼4 mm in diameter) and a temporal resolution of 1,600 frames/s, without multiple-trial averaging. We can record 80–100 trials of intermittent 10-s trials from each imaging field before the VSD signal reduces to one half of its initial amplitude because of bleaching and wash-out. Taken together, the methods described in this report provide a useful tool for visualizing evoked and spontaneous waves from rodent cortex.

The Clifford Paterson Lecture, 1993, Accurate measurement in in vivo magnetic Resonance: an engineering problem?

1994 ◽  
Vol 349 (1691) ◽  
pp. 357-388
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Engineering Problem ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Significant Extent ◽  
Performance System ◽  
Imaging And Spectroscopy ◽  
Intractable Problem ◽  
Conceptual Difficulties

Measurement in in vivo magnetic resonance — both in imaging and spectroscopy — has proved to be a much more intractable problem than extrapolation from conventional high resolution studies might have suggested. Although this paper concentrates mainly on some of the complications of magnetic resonance imaging, the same conceptual difficulties (compounded by much reduced signal levels) affect in vivo spectroscopy. Tissue is an extremely complex system and many of the difficulties studying it arise from the interactions that are unintentionally engendered when it is observed. Patient motion is a potent source of artifact to the technical challenge of making better measurements, and different forms of motion are likely to be the ultimate limitation on the sensitivity and discrimination of the technique as a whole. In this context it is observed that the traditional criterion of performance — system signal-to-noise ratio — should be replaced by a signal-to-artifact estimate, and that this may affect the design and implementation of detector systems to a significant extent.

scholarly journals Using a Common Average Reference to Improve Cortical Neuron Recordings From Microelectrode Arrays

2009 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 1679-1689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kip A. Ludwig ◽  
Rachel M. Miriani ◽  
Nicholas B. Langhals ◽  
Michael D. Joseph ◽  
David J. Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Reference Electrode ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Average Reference ◽  
Markov Theorem ◽  
Sprague Dawley Rats ◽  
On Chip ◽  
Mathematical Justification ◽  
Signal Sources

In this study, we propose and evaluate a technique known as common average referencing (CAR) to generate a more ideal reference electrode for microelectrode recordings. CAR is a computationally simple technique, and therefore amenable to both on-chip and real-time applications. CAR is commonly used in EEG, where it is necessary to identify small signal sources in very noisy recordings. To study the efficacy of common average referencing, we compared CAR to both referencing with a stainless steel bone-screw and a single microelectrode site. Data consisted of in vivo chronic recordings in anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats drawn from prior studies, as well as previously unpublished data. By combining the data from multiple studies, we generated and analyzed one of the more comprehensive chronic neural recording datasets to date. Reference types were compared in terms of noise level, signal-to-noise ratio, and number of neurons recorded across days. Common average referencing was found to drastically outperform standard types of electrical referencing, reducing noise by >30%. As a result of the reduced noise floor, arrays referenced to a CAR yielded almost 60% more discernible neural units than traditional methods of electrical referencing. CAR should impart similar benefits to other microelectrode recording technologies—for example, chemical sensing—where similar differential recording concepts apply. In addition, we provide a mathematical justification for CAR using Gauss-Markov theorem and therefore help place the application of CAR into a theoretical context.

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